Dear Colleague:

On behalf of COA’s Board of Trustees and staff, we want to thank you for your support of our 2009 National Conference—Strategies for Sustaining Success!

We were very excited to bring together leaders from our family of excellence to share their ideas regarding best practices. As you know, there has never been a more important time for us to work together and develop solutions that will benefit our vulnerable communities.

With that in mind, we sought to present a varied program that was both interesting and informative and that utilized the knowledge and expertise of some of the top leaders in our field, who generously donated their time. We are certain that those workshops provided guidance and fostered rich discussions around some very important and topical issues.

One of the many highlights of this year’s conference was the participation of international guests from eight countries. These visitors were invited by the International Task Force of the COA Board of Trustees and shared their ideas and experiences about the delivery of innovative and culturally competent services. We think that their presence provided a unique opportunity to embrace the spirit of the conference.

Of course, there was much more-- our special program for volunteers, the opening reception, our Networking Breakfast and the Consuelo Peer Reviewer Award. Perhaps best of all, our 2009 National Conference once again provided a wonderful opportunity for so many of you to reconnect with your colleagues, COA staff, and friends...as well as meet new ones, all while taking advantage of all New York City had to offer.

In closing, we would like to again thank you for your support of our 2009 National Conference and your continuing commitment to COA, our accreditation process, and the human service field. It was truly a pleasure to have you share this time with us.

Best wishes,